1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical consumption stabilizing method and apparatus, and particularly to an electrical consumption stabilizing method and apparatus for a device composed of circuits that use a semiconductor element in which electrical consumption varies according to the state of the internal circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, electrical consumption stabilizing systems of the prior art maintain a fixed load component by providing, for example, a resistance on the power source side to reduce the rate of change in electrical consumption in the device as a whole.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one example of an electrical consumption stabilizing system of the prior art having a circuit 2 in which electrical consumption varies according to the state of an inputted standard input signal 1 and resistance 3 that continually consumes a fixed amount of electrical power regardless of standard input signal 1.
As to the operation of this system, circuit 2 consumes electrical power through its internal operation when standard input signal 1 is normally inputted. When input of standard input signal 1 to circuit 2 is cut off, operation of circuit 2 stops, and output signal 4 of circuit 2 consequently also stops, causing electrical consumption to virtually halt. Consequently, if the only load on the power source is circuit 2, the output from the power source cannot maintain a stable state due to the drastic change in energy consumption of the device between the states of normal input and cut-off of standard input signal 1. Accordingly, by adding resistance 3, which consumes a fixed amount of electrical power regardless of the state of standard input signal 1, on the power source side, the rate of change in power consumption of the device as a whole can be decreased.
As described hereinabove, the electrical consumption stabilization system of the prior art necessitates the addition of resistance having no essential function to ensure that electrical consumption is constant regardless of the state of the standard input signal, and because current always flows through resistance, extra electricity is consumed by the resistance even during normal input of the standard input signal.